The 64 Maxi/Mini firmware

[DavidC]

They released a update for the firmware.  Now can swap disks on the Mini as well as other cool stuff. 

 

Version 1.5.2 – Changes and additions

• [THEC64 Full size European] Fixes missing Bluestar carousel cover image which was broken in release v1.5.1 under some circumstances
• [All models] Adds C64 joystick port selection; see notes below
• Adds C64 only Classic mode added to THEC64 Mini
• Adds disk swapping added to THEC64 Mini
• [All models] Adds Commodore REU support with 512K, 2MB or 16MB as filename flags or CJM parameters; see notes below
• New games for THEC64 Mini: Hessian (C64) and PET Snake (C64)
• New games for THEC64 full size: Hessian (C64), PET Snake (C64), City Crusher(VIC20) and Mine Sweep (VIC20)
• New games for THEVIC20: Hessian (C64), PET Snake (C64), City Crusher(VIC20) and Mine Sweep (VIC20)

 

 

 

 

https://retrogames.biz/thec64/support/upgrade-thec64

[+OLD CS1]

46 minutes ago, DavidC said:

Adds disk swapping added to THEC64 Mini

About f-ing time.  I should have time to check this new firmware out by this weekend.

 

EDIT: hrmmmm this seems to have been floating around here for a little while as I already downloaded it.  I think my disappointment pushed it out of my mind.  I will remember this time and check it out.

[+evg2000]

yep, came out in March

[+OLD CS1]

1 hour ago, evg2000 said:

yep, came out in March

Yeah, I just got a little disillusioned (bitchy) at some point.  That and I still have not completely cleaned up my home office since I had to combine with my office-office.

[+OLD CS1]

I started to bumble around without the docs to see if swapping is intuitive; it is not.  I launched a two-disk demo from the USB flash drive, then brought up the menu.  Nowhere in the menu is the option to swap disks.  Time for the docs.

 

How to use disk swapping on the 64Mini is not documented anywhere, other than the simple announcement of the feature on the firmware update page.  I had to go to the THEC64 user guide.  It turns out that disk swapping is only available in "Classic mode," which is the CBM BASIC mode of the system.  ISTR this mode used to be a selection in the Carousel.  Notwithstanding, Classic mode can be selected in the settings menu, either by setting it as the default boot mode or by switching immediately to the mode.

 

Classic mode requires an attached keyboard or the painful use of the virtual keyboard.  In this mode, a different menu than the Carousel's File access is available called Media access.  It appears this is the only mode from which multi-disk access operates, whether via just disk-swapping or the CD (continuation disk) filename flag.

 

Comes now the "CD" (continuation disk) filename flag.  Using the CD flag on a disk, that disk is labeled as a continuation of the most recently-accessed disk from carousel mode.  A continuation disk does not have saved states attached to it, but rather those saved states are attached to the previous disk.

 

To test, I took a demo with two disks and attached the CD flag to the filename of the second disk.  At the "swap disk" prompt of the demo, I saved the current state, exited the program, then loaded the second disk from the carousel USB menu.  As happens, the system attempted to LOAD the second disk which resulted in an error in BASIC.  I then opened the save state menu and found no saved states.

 

When in Classic mode, however, the CD filename flag did link the saved state of the first disk of the demo to the second disk.

 

Not having disk swapping available from the Carousel mode is disappointing, and only being available in Classic mode makes using multi-disk demos and games more convoluted than it needs to or should be.  Nonetheless, it does work.